Microsoft to cut 700 jobs this week – report

Microsoft is expected to cut 700 jobs this week, being part of a group of 2850 cuts announced last year, it has been reported.

According to Business Insider, citing “someone familiar with the matter”, Microsoft will conduct the layoffs when it reports its quarterly results on 26 January.

The website’s source said that most of the 2850 cuts have already been made, adding that it won’t be limited to any specific group. Cuts are apparently set to affect divisions such as human resources, engineering, finance, marketing and more.

Business Insider also reports that the cuts were made to “update skills” rather than with the goal of reducing costs.

If confirmed, the cuts would mark the latest round of job losses under CEO Satya Nadella, mostly affecting its mobile operations.

However, the latest round of cuts pales in comparison to 2014’s largest ever “restructuring” for the firm, which saw over 18 000 jobs being shed by the Redmond company. That particular round of losses came a few years after Nokia’s mobile unit was integrated with the company.

Author | Hadlee Simons

Terrible puns make Hadlee Simons difficult to work with, but he brings over seven years of tech journalism experience to the table. When he's not at work or watching motorsport, he's in the foetal position on a jiu jitsu mat. More